Music
by xx paint you wings
Summary: A collection of short, song-inspired oneshots. Fluff, angst, romance, et cetera. Tryan, aka Troy/Ryan.  Slash. Rated for alcohol references.
1. Into the Night

**This is the first part in a series of song-inspired, very short oneshots. I figured it was time I did something about all those little fanfiction scraps I have lying around. Some of them might be expanded later.**

**Summary: A New Year's Eve party can change your outlook on the people you thought you knew. Inspired by the song Into the Night, by Santana featuring Chad Kroeger.**

**Disclaimer: I do not and have never owned the High School Musical franchise, owned by Disney**

Troy watched, wide eyed, as Ryan danced.

The athlete winced as a pair of grinding sophomores stumbled into him, as he shouldered his way to the front of the crowd for a better view, eyes never leaving the blond boy. The petite boy slowly turned to him, looked at him and winked, before he continued. Troy's eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat. He hoped the crowd that had gathered around the performer hadn't noticed the smaller boy's flirtatious motion.

His mind wandered back to Gabriella's drunken "dancing", nothing like Ryan's. Gabriella had ground her body against him in such a way that made him feel incredibly uncomfortable. When he thought of her "dancing", the only thing he could think was, _Gabriella is such a slut_.

Suddenly, he realized that all eyes were no longer on Ryan, and a slow song was playing. He sighed in disappointment that the blond boy's performance was over.

"Hey," a breath, smelling faintly of alcohol, ghosted across his ear, making him jump towards the person who had spoken. "Want to dance with me?"

Troy took in the smaller boy's tipsy smile and outstretched hand. He grinned back. "I'd love to."

Ryan led him to the edge of the crowd, before wrapping his arms around the athlete's neck. As Troy rested his hands on the performer's hips, he felt as if they were the only ones left in the world. They began to sway slowly to the music, twirling in a careful circle. Troy thought he should feel relieved to note that no grinding was involved in the performer's dance, yet somehow he decided that perhaps he wouldn't mind so much if it was Ryan.

Soon, they found themselves near the glass door to the patio of the small house. Ryan looked up at him, gesturing with one hand towards the door, questioningly. Troy nodded and silently lead the two of them out onto the empty back patio. Once out of sight, they resumed their dance.

"Three… two…!"

"One," the athlete whispered before leaning down to kissed the blond tenderly on the lips. He could feel Ryan smiling into the kiss, as their grip on each other tightened, pulling their bodies closer together.

A happy new year, indeed.


	2. Contagious

**Summary: The athlete's smile is contagious… maybe he has a chance with the golden boy, after all.**

**Disclaimer: I do not and have never owned the High School Musical franchise, owned by Disney.**

* * *

Ryan chewed his thumbnail anxiously, watching Troy attempt the dance move he had been instructed to perform. The athlete stumbled a little, and his balance was off.

"Ryan, you will guide Troy through these steps!" the loud voice of Mrs. Darbus called out in the near-empty auditorium.

The performer glanced at the other boy nervously. "O-okay," he muttered in reply.

Troy smiled apologetically at him as the drama teacher left them to practise in peace. "Sorry I'm so bad at dancing, man," the athlete said.

Ryan attempted to look reassuring. "It's okay, I can teach you," he replied softly.

A wide grin broke out on the basketball player's face. "Great!"

The performer smiled back, though he wasn't sure why. Troy's smile was contagious.

That night, Ryan reflected on the rehearsal. He couldn't get his mind off of Troy, and the golden boy's smile. _This is ridiculous!_ he thought to himself. Yet, he still couldn't stop himself from grinning like an idiot.

"Ryan, you helped Troy practice today?!" his sister exclaimed from his doorway.

The performer averted his eyes sheepishly. "Yeah, Mrs. Darbus told me to. Besides, Troy's bad…"

Sharpay's eyes flew wide. "You like him, don't you! You like Troy!"

Ryan's face flushed crimson as he looked down. "W-what? No, no, why would you think that?"

"Troy would never like you, you know. He's straight, anyway. I don't want to see you get hurt because you're after a straight guy again, Ryan," the blonde girl stated bluntly, arms folded across her chest.

_I can still try, though, can't I?_ he thought. _And maybe I can prove her wrong…? After all, I have this feeling that Troy isn't completely straight, even if he wouldn't go for me._


	3. If Everyone Cared

**Summary: Fireflies, shooting stars, and a camping trip can provoke some deep thoughts. Inspired by the song If Everyone Cared, by Nickelback.**

**Disclaimer: I do not and have never owned the High School Musical franchise, owned by Disney**

* * *

Fireflies flickered overhead. "Look!" Ryan whispered excitedly.

"You've never seen fireflies before?" the taller boy chuckled.

The blond looked up at him, wonder written on his face. "I've never been camping before!"

Troy's eyes widened. "Really? Never?"

"Never," the petite actor replied.

The athlete drew his boyfriend closer. "I'm glad I get to be the first to take you camping, then."

Ryan cocked an eyebrow. "I don't get what's so exciting about it," he muttered. "The ground is damp and hard, and that tent is so stuffy!"

"Welcome to the great outdoors," the taller boy laughed.

Ryan sighed contentedly as he nestled into the taller boy's chest. The ground below them was uncomfortable and the tent was tiny, but Troy was there, so everything was okay. _It's like a dream_, he thought. _Who ever would have thought I'd be here, and with Troy Bolton, golden boy of East High?_

Suddenly, the blond gasped. "Troy, look!"

The other boy looked where he was pointing. Stars were shooting across the sky. "Make a wish," he whispered.

The performer rolled over to face him. "I wish we could stay together, like this, forever."

"I promise, I'll always be here," Troy replied quietly. "Forever."

They watched the pinpoints of light blaze across the sky in silence for a moment.

"Imagine what the world would be like…" the athlete whispered suddenly.

The performer blinked. "What the world would be like? What are you talking about?"

Troy smiled. "If everyone could love, like you and I?"

The blond grinned back. "Everything would be perfect… it's too bad that could never happen."

"I guess we'll just have to make our own kind of perfect, then."


	4. Take Me Away

**Ryan struggles to hide his feelings, but he knows that someday it will all come out, whether he wants it to or not. Inspired by the song Take Me Away, by Avril Lavigne.**

**Disclaimer: I do not and have never owned the High School Musical franchise, owned by Disney.**

* * *

Ryan sighed as he stared at the boy across the room. When the other boy's blue gaze swept across the room, he quickly looked away at his paper. _Why can't I just make these feelings go away?_ he thought. _He would hate me if he knew, I'm sure_.

He remembered listening to his sister rant about her own feelings for the athlete the night before. "_You just can't understand_," she had sighed dramatically, "_what it's like to be in love with the Troy Bolton._" In his head, he had chuckled darkly. Sharpay had continued, "_Nobody knows true pain until they've longed for Troy._"

Well, she was right on that point. Every time he tried to distract himself, his thoughts would always go back to the taller boy. He couldn't count how many nights he had laid awake, imagining situations with himself and Troy. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, with one person at the forefront of all of it: Troy Bolton, East High's straight, golden boy athlete.

Such were the things he thought of as he made his way to his locker at the end of the day. He couldn't even tell his own twin sister about his unrequited feelings; she would only torture him further with the knowledge that he didn't stand a chance. He had never felt so alone as when he was walking through the crowded hallway.

"Hey, Ryan!" The boy had caught up with him in the hallway, placing a hand on his shoulder.

His eyes widened as he struggled to conceal his emotions. _Did Troy know? Could he tell?_ "Hello," he muttered coldly. He didn't want to seem unfriendly, but he couldn't let the other boy know; if he had to seem rude to keep his mask up, then so be it.

He remembered the rest of the conversation, made awkward due to his own coldness. Troy had attempted to be friendly, but Ryan had been unrelenting. He knew the athlete couldn't possibly understand.

Yet somehow, something inside of him wished he could tell the brunette his feelings, spill everything that he had been holding inside since they were freshmen. He was getting nowhere, torturing himself like this, and he knew that someday, he wouldn't be able to hold it in any longer.

He just hoped that the results of the explosion wouldn't prove too much to handle.


	5. Stutter

******Summary:** He knew he should say something, before it was too late, but he couldn't bring himself to try; he would never survive the rejection that was sure to come. Inspired by the song Stutter, by Marianas Trench.

**Disclaimer: I do not and have never owned the High School Musical franchise, owned by Disney.  
**

* * *

Ryan watched as East High's it couple paraded down the hall, hand in hand. He sighed sadly. _Why couldn't I be like that?_ he thought dejectedly.

Just like Sharpay had told him his problem was, he never voiced his thoughts. He preferred to just fade away into the crowd. She had told him that, to get the athlete's attention, he had to be more obvious. Otherwise, Troy would never know.

The problem was that Ryan would rather keep it that way. He didn't want the other boy to know about his feelings; it would only make things ten times worse. He could live like this, without ever being acknowledged. But he didn't think he could live with rejection.

He hated the idea of being alone forever, but that was the way it had to be. He knew that he could never be with anyone else but Troy; the idea of being with anyone else was terribly unappealing to him. Besides, they were graduating soon anyway. It was far too late to try to catch the eye of anyone, much less Troy Bolton, at this point.

He thought back on the previous summer, at his family's country club. Lava Springs had hired almost their entire class as employees, and he and Troy had become something close to friends. They had enjoyed each other's company, but when the school year began again, the athlete had become swept up in the crowd, and the meager friendship that Ryan had worked so hard to earn had simply dissolved.

Now, he couldn't even speak to the other boy without stuttering. Troy was the golden boy of East High; there was no way Ryan stood a chance. Troy was like the sun, and Ryan couldn't come too close without being burned. He had told the other boy over the summer, after listening to him while he fretted over colleges, "If you need me, I'll be there for you… wherever 'there' is." He couldn't remember what had come over him; perhaps it was some excess confidence spurned from the Wildcats' temporary acceptance.

Now, they wouldn't look at him either. They acted, once again, as if he were nothing when they passed him in the halls. Gabriella, the first to willingly speak to him, was too caught up in her perfect relationship with perfect Troy Bolton. Chad had gone back to ignoring his presence entirely. Not that he was surprised; there was no room for the drama fag in the Wildcats' close group of friends.

Maybe someday he would do what Sharpay said he should. But for now, he couldn't bring himself to pursue the athlete. Troy was happy right where he was. Without Ryan.


End file.
